


Compatible

by whyteboardmarker



Series: Time Eternal [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Anger, Bad Wolf, Episode Fix-It: s02e04 The Girl in the Fireplace, Episode: s02e04 The Girl in the Fireplace, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Multiple Doctors (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4985545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whyteboardmarker/pseuds/whyteboardmarker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She is compatible." The mechanical whirring of the droid's saw started. It held the blade to Rose's head and Mickey's heart plummeted. He woman he loved was going to die and the Doctor had left them with no way back.<br/>A GITF rewrite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm bringing this over from FanFiction. This was done about two months ago I think. This was based on something the droid said when it held Rose captive. It said she was compatible. But for what?... I hope you enjoy!  
> All recognisable characters and plots are the property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended for the entirety of the story.

Rose and Mickey looked at the fragments of glass that littered the floor, then at the pipes that were behind the shattered window. She turned and grasped Mickey, holding on tightly as she started to sob. Mickey was in shock, his first go at space travel and he was abandoned like a stray dog at the side of a dirty road. Well he always was the tin dog, which was still a dog regardless. He held Rose closer and patted her back, kissing her hair.

_Now she knows what it feels when the love of your life runs off to someone else._ He squashed that thought immediately. He had to be strong for her. He loved her regardless of her sins and transgressions. He recalled Rose as a tiny baby in a carrier at a wedding he hardly remembered. He must not have been more than six years old. She was adorable in her tiny pink outfit and dimpled smiles. He watched her grow into a beautiful young woman and tried to shield her from all the evil he possibly could. When she chose him to give her heart, he considered himself the luckiest man alive. She had held him through the tough parts of his life. He was grateful for her love, platonic or romantic; as long as he had her in his life.

"She is compatible."

It was all they heard before Rose was yanked out of his grasp.

"Rose!" He screamed, this could not be happening. It was his job to keep her safe. The colossal pretty idiot had left them with active droids still on board the ship. A droid dragged Rose, kicking and screaming, towards the same restraints they were in earlier. Another held Mickey's arms behind his back and pushed him to the other table. Mickey tried to free himself but it was too strong. The droid clamped the restraints on him and the other did the same to Rose.

"Mickey!" Mickey looked at Rose, her eyes were alight with fear and worry. It was rare to see those emotions on her. She was always strong and never showed fear. She was brave, she may stumble and fall but she never showed how much she was frightened. She grew up on the estates, where fear would get you a bullet to the head. The mechanical whirring of the droid's saw started. It held the blade to Rose's head and Mickey's heart plummeted. He woman he loved was going to die and the Doctor had left them with no way back.

"I love you Rose." It was the only thing he could say at the time. They was no way out and he needed to say it. Rose looked at him with tears in her eyes that caused black streaks of mascara to paint her cheeks.

"I love you Mickey." He knew she meant it. "I'm sorry. You deserved better than me."

He opened his mouth to say that it was him that didn't deserve her. That she deserved so much more than what he could give her. That was when the blade went to her skin and the screaming started.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now a special guest is going to bring the Doctor back to whatever awaits on the ship!

The connection from the fireplace to the ship was lost. There was no way back, no way back to his beloved ship and no way back to Rose. The Doctor moved from the fireplace back to the window with the Madame watching him curiously. He now felt the consequences of his actions. He would do it again if he had too but when did any of his victories did not bore a loss on his conscious?

Reinette moved to his side and looped her hand through his arm. "Did it not work my lonely angel?"

He looked at her and gave a sad smile. Here he was in the company of one of the most beautiful women in history and yet he felt…empty. He missed his Rose, she was always at his side, placing all of her trust in him.

"With the droids gone, there isn't a need for the time windows any more. So they've shut down. They were burning massive amounts of energy just to keep them open. It seems you were important to that ship somehow. I guess we'll never know."

She pushed him back slightly and smoothed the lapels of his suit while he looked down at her. "How will you get back?"

He smacked his lips together and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He activated the correct setting and looked at the pale blue light. "I will have to hitch a ride with one of my past selves. Let me tell you. They may be all me, but we do not get along."

"All those face I saw…" She lightly touched his brow and traced down his nose to his lips.

"They were all me," he breathed and then touched his lips to the Madame.

"Quit snogging pretty boy! I have to pick up Rose from her mother's and I do not appreciate waiting for you to finish."

The voice of his previous self behind them caused them to separate and look at him with dazed faces. He let the Madame go and turned to face himself. "That was fast and I don't remember this."

His previous self sneered at him. "I'll block my memories. So I've regenerated into a pretty prat. Is Rose still with us?"

"Yes she is. Which brings me to why I called you. I need to get back to her."

His previous self marched up to him and glowered. He still was intimidating even though he was shorter than this current body.

"Where is she?!" He thundered. His current self forgot how murderously protective he was of her. He still was but not the murderous part so much.

"On a ship sometime in the future. Track my TARDIS and you'll find her and Mickey."

He watched this previous self wrinkled his nose at him. "I brought Rickey on board with me? Do I go senile in my old age?"

"Nope" He popped the p. "Just thought he could use a trip with us. It's his first trip mind you."

"And you abandoned Rose and him on a ship in the future?" He said this in such a quiet voice that made the hairs on his current self's neck stand up.

"It's not abandonment if you are going back." He argued.

His previous self grunted and walked to the other room. "Say goodbye. We're leaving."

The Doctor turned to Reinette and smiled that manic smile. "Pick a star and pack a bag. I'll be back." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and skipped to the other Doctor's TARDIS.

"I've found the coordinates of your TARDIS. Shut the door. We're dematerialising." His previous self was looking at the monitors.

His current self walked to the controls and stroked the column.

"Stop touching my TARDIS!" His previous self was glaring daggers at him. "I can't help you if you are feeling nostalgic about the layout."

"It's still the same. Haven't redecorated. Why mess with perfection?" At least he got a smirk from his grumpy self.

"I'm the regeneration after you by the way. Imprinted on Rose and bam! I'm foxy. She still misses you. Sometimes she looks at me like she's trying to remember what I looked like before." He moved to the jump seat and plopped down on it.

The leather jacket Doctor snorted. "This daft old face? I find that hard to believe."

"She had trouble adjusting to me. Was convinced I was Slitheen! Me! A Slitheen! That and the fact we didn't warn her about regeneration." He pulled out a banana from his jacket and peeled it. He was getting hungry.

His previous self turned to face him with a serious look. "Was it a good death?"

The current Doctor swallowed and looked at him with all the seriousness he could muster.

"I would do it every time if I could. It was the noblest of deaths."

His previous self grunted and returned to facing the console. "Get out of my TARDIS. You're here."

The Doctor hopped of the jump seat and put the remains of his banana in his pocket. "Don't forget to block your memories!"

The previous Doctor glared at him when he closed the door. The ship seemed fully functional now. Maybe his speech had frightened the droids into shutting down. But how had they repaired the ship? He ran through the ship to where his TARDIS was while listening to the other dematerialising. He smelt the rusty whiff of iron and tasted the sharp tang of blood in his mouth. He froze. There were no live crew members but this was fresh blood. The only life on this ship was Mickey and Rose. He ran full speed towards to source of the smell and stumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

The quiet sniffles of Mickey were the only sound he heard. There on the table was what remained from the carcass of Rose. Her skull was cut around the top. The cerebrospinal fluid mixed with blood to make her skull like a punch bowl of pink fluids. There was no brain. The droids had only needed a brain to repair the ship. They had found one. The one he had conveniently left behind.

The Doctor's hearts stopped. He obviously did not hear her heartbeat. That was long gone. His precious girl was dead. He would never see her smile or hear her laugh. He would never smell her hair or hold her hand. Now whose hand will he hold? This hand of his was made to cradle hers perfectly. This body was made for her. This brave woman once held the Time Vortex at great risk to her to save his life. She saved him again and again. She was his salvation, she made him a better man. And what did he do? He left her in danger at the mercy at scavengers of human organs. They took her brain. They killed her. No. It was him that killed her. He was one who knew the danger of leaving her here. How much did she scream? How much pain was she in? How long did it take her to die?

He choked back a sob but didn't try stopping the tears. He moved silently to Rose and raised his hand to touch her cheek.

"Don't you dare touch her! You left her like a bloody spare part for them to use!" The Doctor jumped backwards and saw Mickey in the next table with a venomous look on his face. The Doctor ignored him and touched her cold cheek. He remembered touching this cheek when it was warm. How much had he took for granted? He told Rose that humans withered and died and yet he was too afraid to take the chance with her. Now here he was next to her dead body. She would never know how he felt.

He unlocked the restraints with his screwdriver as well as Mickey's. He scooped her body in his arms and walked to the TARDIS. Mickey followed behind. The doors to the TARDIS automatically opened, bringing in her thief and wolf. The silent funeral march continued until the Med Bay where he placed her body on the examination table. He stroked her cheek again when a fist connected to the side of his jaw. He held the table for stability turned to face the owner of the fist.

Mickey was breathing hard and still crying. He lost the woman he loved to a prat who did not care enough to make sure she was safe. The other Doctor would have never let this happen.

The Doctor straightened up and rubbed his eyes. "Hit me again if it makes you feel better."

Mickey did not take the bait. "I want to kill you but you will just change your face again."

The Doctor looked at him with a resigned look. "I deserve that. You would only have to kill me four more times again before I'm gone permanently."

Mickey looked at him and at Rose. He walked up to her and traced her nose. "She would kill me before I touch a hair on your head." He leaned down and kissed her bloody cheek. "She loved you, you know?"

The Doctor's breathing hitched. "I know. I was just too much of a coward to do anything about it."

Mickey walked to the door before pausing. "Did you love her?"

The Doctor rubbed his thumbs over her lips and then gave her a chaste kiss. He tasted her blood on his lips. "Rose Tyler, I love you."

It was then she began to glow.

Few things in the universe could shock the Doctor. The extinction of bananas in Klox 97, the Master returning, a human baby winning gold at the Anti-Gravity Olympics of 5684 and now, Rose emitting a golden light from her dead body. Even in death his pink and yellow girl still kept him on his toes. Mickey ran forward before the Doctor held out his hand to stop him.

"What's happening?" Mickey was frightened. This never happened to the dead. They should just be lying there perfectly still, not glowing.

"I don't know! This is impossible. She's dead!" The Doctor was panicking. What was happening to his girl?

Rose's body began healing before their eyes. Her skull began regrow from where it was opened. A hint of a brain was seen. All the other cuts and bruises began to lighten and fade. Then she gasped a lungful of air and her chest rose. The golden light was fading and Rose Tyler opened her eyes. Both men rushed to either side of her and each held a hand. She looked at the both of them and tried to sit up. The Doctor quickly caught on and gently held her up. She remained quiet for a few minutes, leaning on the Doctor.

"I was dead. I remember dying," she whispered, holding on to the Doctor. The Doctor held her closer and silently cried in the hair. He would never forget that he cost Rose Tyler her life.

"It hurt. It hurt so much. I was happy I was fading away." The Doctor did not hold back his sobs. He pressed a wet kiss to her hair. Rose's hand came up to the back of his head and turned him to look at her. "Don't think I blame you Doctor. History was at stake. Earth was at stake. The universe was at stake. I'll do it again if I have too."

"No!" The Doctor still held her, burying his face in her neck. "You are to remain alive Rose Tyler." He raised up and held her face between his hands. "You are to remain so very alive." He kissed the tip of her bloody nose and held her.

Rose turned to look at Mickey and turned away from the Doctor to hug him. Mickey was crying unashamedly and grasped Rose tightly, still unable to speak. The three of them simply sat as the tears flowed, no words were spoken. About an hour after, when Rose began become exhausted, she asked to go to her room.

"I need to wash my blood off my skin." Both men cringed at her admission. She was bathed in her blood that had mostly become dry and rubbed off like vermilion powder. The three stopped at her door and kisses on the cheek were given before she entered and shut the door. Mickey and the Doctor stood outside, silently debating whether or not to enter.

"How?" It was the one question Mickey had. His gran did not glow golden and come back to life after she had died. People did not glow when they died. They were just still and cold, not alive and moving like Rose.

The Doctor just stared at the door. "I don't know. I will have to run some tests but I'll spare her from doing it so soon. She needs to rest. It will be traumatizing for her."

"You should go in."

The Doctor looked at Mickey startled. Wasn't Mickey jealous of him stealing Rose away on an adventure? He had grown up a lot in the past few hours. Perhaps seeing the woman you loved being killed and then coming back to life will age a man by decades.

"She would want someone with her. Since she loves you…" Mickey left his reasoning unfinished.

"But you hate me." The Doctor was confused.

Mickey shrugged and looked at his shoes. "Yes I do but Rose needs you and I can put aside my hatred of you for her sake."

The Doctor found it hard to swallow. Mickey was the bigger man. "How long did it take for her to die?"

Mickey jumped at the question. He looked at the Doctor with pain and terror in his eyes. Tears began to form again making his eyes glassy. "I'll forever have nightmares about it. She screamed and screamed. There was so much blood…" Mickey broke out in heart wrenching sobs. "They were halfway through her skull when she stopped screaming."

The Doctor pulled Mickey into a hug while the man sobbed. He cried too, his regret and guilt would never fade even though Rose absolved him. Mickey pushed him away after a few minutes and dried his eyes with the end of his t-shirt.

"Go to her. She needs someone." With that, Mickey Smith turned and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor's hand rested on the door handle and tried to find the courage to enter. When he did two minutes later. he turned the handle and walked in. The door to the ensuite was opened. The shower was running, steam was escaping into the bedroom. The Doctor walked into the bathroom, shucking his bloody jacket and loosening his tie. He could hear sobbing from the shower, the outline of Rose was a small shape at the corner.

He slid the enclosure opened and entered, closing it back when he did. Rose did not move or stop sobbing when he came in which was worrying for him. The shower was painted with the tinges of blood on the walls and the floor, mostly concentrated on the corner she sat in. He got down to her knees before her and raised her head from between her legs. "Let's wash this off you."

He gently raised her up and made her stand under the spray, letting the blood run off. When most had washed off, he massaged her hair with shampoo and then conditioner. He took a wash cloth and soaped it, rubbing it softy throughout her body. Rose leaned on him at some point and clutched at his wet shirt. When he was done, he stripped himself and threw the clothes outside. Rose still clung to him. She let him wash himself and moved when necessary but still maintained contact with him. The Doctor then stepped out for towels and dried her off, wrapping her in the fluffiest towel he had bought for her at a marketplace at some place at some time he couldn't remember at the moment. He quickly towelled himself off and guided them both to her room. He dressed her in a simple vest and drawstrings while he took some of the clothes he left behind for movie nights in her bedroom.

He placed her under the duvet and went under too, Rose rolled to rest her head on his chest. "Thank you," she breathed. It was nice to have someone take care of you she decided and she needed that now. She felt the Doctor kiss her head and tightened his hold on her. "My precious girl," he whispered in her ear. 

Rose looked up at him. "I would do it again if I have too. I'm not saying that it didn't affect me because it did but I would do it again."

The Doctor's breathing hitched. "I never want you to. What if you never come back to life again? What if you never came back to life in the first place? I've lost you once already. I can't bear to do that again."

Rose wiped the tears from him face. "Will you be running tests on me?"

"Not now." He stroked her back. "Not until you're ready."

"My mother will have to know about this. She is not going to want you near me again." Rose played with the button on his pyjama shirt.

"She's right not to. I abandoned you and Mickey and I let you die." The Doctor turned them and propped himself on his elbow, so he was on his side looking over her.

"If you didn't then human history would have changed. You needed to." She cupped his face. She needed to keep touching him.

"But not at the cost of you!" A tear from his eye splashed on her cheek.

She wiped it off. "Doctor, you said it before. Humans wither and then die. If it is my time, I'll go."

The Doctor needed to say it now. He lost her already and regretted ever moment he wasted with her. "I will let you go when the time comes Rose Tyler. It will be the damn hardest thing I'll do for love. I refuse to let our time together be wasted."

Rose looked at him with bright wide eyes, eyes in which he could see her love. Her eyes began to water and a sole tear ran down her face. He wiped it away.

"Rose Tyler, until my dying breath in any regeneration, I will love you unequivocally and unconditionally."

It was then he kissed her. She brought up her hand to comb through his hair. They kept it tame, too tired from the trauma to push any further but the sentiment was known.

"I've loved you since run," she whispered in his ear and he kissed her again. "Did you save her? Madame du Pompadour?" Rose played with his hair, then ran it down to his sideburns.

"Yes. I did. She stepped into my mind Rose. She was brilliant. One of the most brilliant women from your planet." His eyes were alight talking about her. Then his expression became ashamed. "I kissed her. Twice. Well she kissed me first but I responded so that makes me guilty of kissing her and I initiated the second one but-"

"Doctor!" Rose cut him off. He was rambling again. Rose smiled at him. "You sound like such a fanboy. I'm not angry. I suppose she was like a celebrity you fancied." She rose up and kissed him. The Doctor pecked her again when they parted. "And she was a courtesan so she can make any man fancy the pants off of her. Plus you are her childhood hero. A girl can get a little infatuated." The Doctor blushed and buried his face in her neck. Rose chuckled. "I hope you offered her a trip. She was so brave."

The Doctor was proud of his Rose. Accepting of everyone. The two women were more alike than either of them thought. "I did. Told her to pack a bag."

She pushed him back to lay down and rested her head on his chest. "We'll pick her up soon. I need rest. Regrowing body parts has knackered me out."

The Doctor cringed but kissed her hair. "Goodnight Rose. I love you. Remember, testing when you're ready."

Rose was already comfortable on his chest, snuggling further. "Love you too Doctor."

The two remained awake despite their comfort. Neither of them choose to break the peaceful silence. Rose turned her nose into his chest and inhaled, the Doctor stroking her hair.

"There was this golden light," she started. The Doctor quickly sat up, pulling Rose with him. The Doctor held her chin and looked into her eyes. Rose noted they were burning with that need for knowledge, to find out what had happened. She had to continue for both their sakes.

"Then I saw myself, 'cept I was golden. My eyes were golden. I was wearing the pink hoodie from the game station. The day you..."

"Rengenerated..." The Doctor whispered. How that day would haunt them. "Bad Wolf. She brought you back. Why?" Rose arched her eyebrow at him. "I am grateful that she did!" He sputtered. "But why?"

Rose shrugged. "It wasn't my time she said. I'm apparently needed for something else." Rose sighed and brushed her hair back. "I have no clue what but it's what she said."

The Doctor was quiet. Rose knew his brain was processing the data she had given him faster than any computer possibly could. His look was intense when he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Tomorrow. We'll deal with this then. You need sleep." Rose opened her mouth to protest. "Yes. I know I need sleep too." He lay back and pulled Rose over him. He kissed her gently and said, "Tomorrow. Now rest."

He did not sleep a wink that night.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor spent the night looking at his precious girl. He kissed her forehead and brushed the hair away from her face. Rose sighed and turned her body so her back rested against his front. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, her body contouring to his. She should be dead. He did not deserve whatever miracle had brought her back. He never believed in miracles or fate or any of that nonsense but Rose had him changing his beliefs like the wind.

Rose was starting to wake up. She slept for thirteen hours, barely turned in the night. She was exhausted he surmised, perhaps it was like when he was suffering from regeneration sickness. Or it could be her body recalibrating to a new brain. He cringed and squeaked at that thought. Rose rolled and stretched at his noise. She gravitated towards his smell and clutched his shirt. She yawned and slowly opened her eyes to the sight of a pair of chocolate brown ones looking at her with concern.

"Good morning my sweet girl." The Doctor kissed her. Rose responded until she remembered the issue of morning breath and pulled away. "What's wrong?" The Doctor asked. Did she regret her confession? Rose blushed and mumbled something about cleaning and teeth. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, yawning yet again. The Doctor kissed the top of her head and told her he was going to bring her breakfast.

Rose shook her head. "I'll meet you in the galley. I need to speak to Mickey." The Doctor looked solemn as he nodded. It was something she needed to do. The boy…no…man had seen her died in front of his eyes and was forced to watch her body there for hours. The definite time was not known. Mickey couldn't exactly look at his watch with his arms strapped down and no one knew precisely when he crashed through the mirror.

"I'll make you breakfast." The Doctor moved from the bed and waked to the door. Before he stepped outside he paused and looked back. "I love you Rose. I will never take any moment for granted." He was outside when he heard her say she loved him too.

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Rose was showered and fresh when she went searching for Mickey. It did not take her long, he was still in bed. Rose walked to the bed and sat down, scooting up to the headboard while he made space for her to fit. They were sitting side by side and just remained silent. Mickey stretched his arms over to encompass her into a hug. She angled her body to reciprocate, hugging the man who was there for her final moments.

"Come back home, Rose," Mickey said into her neck. Rose stiffened and pulled away from him. She did not meet his eye. He held her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. They were glistening and she felt so much guilt. He was traumatized, he saw her die. He saw her dead for an unknown amount of time. He didn't deserve that. His first trip and he saw death given to the woman he loved. "Come with me Rose. We could be happy, me and you." Rose ducked and broke his hold on her chin. "I'll keep you safe," he whispered.

It was then she looked him in the eyes. "I can't," she breathed. Mickey held her in his arms as she did. "I can't," she repeated. Mickey never replied, he just stroked her back. "I'm sorry Mickey. I'm so sorry."

He pushed her to look at him. "Never apologise to me Rose." His grip was strong on her shoulders. "He told you then?" Rose face scrunched in confusion. "He told you that he loved you?"

Rose met him in the eye. "Yes. He did. And I did too." Rose watched as Mickey's face hardened. He nodded and stood up from the bed. "I'm not leaving 'im Mickey. I can't. He has no one. And I love 'im Mickey. I do." Rose watched as his stony expression remained.

"Make sure he treats you right. Else I only have to kill 'im four more times." Rose was confused again as he left for the bathroom.

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Breakfast with the Doctor was a quiet affair. He passed her milk and butter for her toast when she needed. He just sat and watched her eat. She was never self-conscious in that moment. It was as if he was trying to convince himself she was still there and not some hallucination of grief. She let him had his moment of mental deliberation; he was watching her like a hawk.

"Have you eaten anything?" She asked him. She knew he wouldn't be taking care of himself in this state, the state of shock and strangling guilt. He had showered but hadn't shaved, the scruff darkening his face and matching the almost black circles under his eyes. His hair was not styled but looked as if his ran his hand through it continuously, still giving it his signature hedgehog style.

"Yes. A banana and some tea. Couldn't finish the cup." She appreciated his honesty. Perhaps now he would always tell her the truth. He moved from his chair and placed her now finished breakfast in the sink. "I'll deal with that later." He came up to Rose and pulled her in for a kiss. They kissed languidly until he moved from her lips and kissed each eyelid. "Ready for testing?" He whispered into her ear. She took his hand and kissed his palm. She nodded. It was time to explore the unknown.

She sat on the bed while the Doctor scanned her with almost every piece of medical equipment before he took blood samples. She watched him cross the room to the microscope where he prepared a slide and fixed the magnification. He then pulled out his sonic (which he had scanned her with too) and pointed at the screen near the bed. An image of her blood composition came up on the screen. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The Doctor was staring intently at the image as if it held all the answers to all the questions in the universe.

"What's wrong?" Rose started panicking. She was sure he found something that warranted concern. Did something change in her normal blood work? Did something change in her DNA? Was she even human any more? What was she going to tell her mother? Jackie had already lost so much in her life. Would she accept any major change in her daughter?

"What?" The Doctor exclaimed, interrupting the myriad of questions assaulting her mind. "No! Nothing's wrong. Everything is perfectly normal. Even your DNA. Just brought this up to show you that you, Rose Tyler, are," he kissed her forehead, "a perfectly normal human woman."

Rose was dubious about his conclusion. She looked up to the image and asked the Doctor, "Even that earmuff looking thing?" She pointed at the image.

The Doctor looked and laughed. "That's an eosinophil. It's a white blood cell. Only makes up about two percent of all white blood cells. He's a little warrior, fighting off larger parasites and helping with inflammation. He's a little buddy, Rose. No need for worry." He fluffed the top of her hair affectionately.

"So there is nothing in my body that Bad Wolf changed?"

The Doctor froze at her question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The regeneration thing explained...  
> The Duplicate hasn't happened so that's one. End of Time is another, making it two. The Day of the Doctor brings us the Twelfth Doctor even though the Eleventh Doctor stated he was the last in The Time of the Doctor which happened after the Day of the Doctor! The Eleventh Doctor's end brings us to three. Don't forget to kill the Tenth Doctor himself. Brings us to four. Plot holes....aka Timey-Wimey.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose watched him hesitate and busy himself with something irrelevant. He took a vial of her blood and placed it in a centrifuge; she knew it served no purpose to her question. The Doctor mumbled under his breath and pulled out another slide for the microscope. She let him have his moment; he placed another sample on the slide with a syringe, this time the pale yellow liquid from the spun vial. He didn't put the image on screen, instead watching it under the microscope. He was still mumbling something inaudible and pointedly ignoring her.

"Doctor?" Rose inquired gently. The Doctor turned her way but didn't meet her eyes. "Please…" She needed to know. It was her body. It was she who had died and then breathed again. Perhaps she had changed after all and he was trying to protect her by keeping that from her. She mentally laughed at that thought. The Doctor loved her, he respected her. He would not insult her by keeping vital information away from her knowledge. When he did meet her eyes, they were filled with anguish and sorrow.

"Your body is not ageing." He ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up even more. "It's not permanent though. I don't know when the ageing process will start again but I can't reverse it." He began pacing and muttering again. His anxiety was radiating through his entire body, cracking like static. Rose stayed silent. Bad Wolf wanted her to remain until she was needed for whatever it was that was coming. Perhaps she wanted Rose to remain with the Doctor. Rose wasn't sure. According to her previous Doctor, the future was never set in stone.

"Doctor?" He looked up with his hand halfway through his hair, all frazzled nerves and jumpy muscles. "Come here," Rose called. He swooped into her arms and held her tight. Rose petted his hair and stroked down his back, evening out his breathing.

"I can't make you normal again Rose. I've robbed you of a human life," he whispered into her neck. She shushed him and continued stroking down his back, humming a lullaby her mother sang to her when she was a child. He pressed a kiss to her neck before he moved to sit beside her on the bed. He watched her swing her feet back and forth and then his resting on the floor. Rose grasped his hand and squeezed.

"This was my choice Doctor." She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it.

"I caused yo-" Rose placed her finger on his lips to quiet him. He did, but conveyed all his sorrow and regret in his eyes.

"It was me, Doctor. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS. You didn't force me into it, I did it of my own free will." She pulled her feet on to the bed and moved to sit facing him. The Doctor mirrored her actions, leaving his trainers on. She held his face between her hands and kissed him. He inhaled a ragged breath when she did, but responded gently. She moved back, resting her face on his chest. "Like I said before Doctor." She took his hand and placed it over her heart. His hand twitched before gently laying still. "I would do it again if I have too," she whispered.

He remained silent. His only response was to kiss the top of her head. She shifted onto his lap and breathed in his scent. He wrapped his arms around her, swaddling her into his cocoon. He bent and kissed her cheek, trailing his lips to behind her ear then her neck. She sighed and swung her head back, giving him more places to bestow his affection. He pulled her shirt down at the shoulder and nuzzled her collar bone, then grazing the round of her shoulder with his teeth. She gasped and pulled him up to kiss him, his scruff lightly abrading her skin. Tongues became involved, ruthlessly plunging and retreating. Her hands were running through his hair while one of his snaked down to her waist and the other and the base of her skull.

She was straddling the Doctor she thought. She needed to stop but it felt so good. She called out all of her inner strength and gently pushed him away. "I know what you're trying to do." The Doctor looked at her with bright eyes and swollen glistening lips. She traced his lips with her little finger. He took her finger into his mouth and swirled his tongue on the tip, maintain eye contact. Her insides tightened. "You're trying to distract me." The Doctor pulled her finger out and gave her the most innocent expression.

"I was saying…" The Doctor popped the finger back into his mouth. "I will do what I have to do to save you." He kissed her palm and she gasped when he licked it. "Forever Doctor," she continued. "I promised forever." The Doctor stopped at this. He looked at her with such sorrow and touched her forehead to his.

"Now I've just as well cursed you to live forever." She saw his tears, she gently moved his head back and wiped it off.

"You told me I will age again, Doctor. Then it isn't forever."

"Technicalities," he scoffed. "I might as well make you watch every one you know and love wither and die." He was self-depreciating again.

"Then I would have to watch you wither and die too Doctor." He flinched at this and moved off the bed. Rose watched him move to the sink and wash his face. He dried it with a handkerchief from his jacket that became soaked. He threw it into basket with apparatus to wash up.

"I don't wither Rose. I regenerated." He began cleaning up the microscope, disposing the slides and her blood samples. He packed the microscope back into its proper shelf and took the sanitising spray to disinfect the work-surface.

"I know, but you get the idea." He did not reply. Rose hopped off the bed and walked towards him. She let him finish wiping down the table and organising the Med Bay back to its original state. She watched him flutter around, busy resetting and moving equipment. She took his hand when he had finished and led him out of the room. They ended up in the galley. She was hungry, they had been doing tests for a while. She passed the Doctor a banana from the fruit basket. He just held in his hand, making no move to eat his beloved fruit. Rose arched her eyebrow at him and he grumbled, peeling the banana.

Rose moved to the fridge to find something to eat when the Doctor stopped her. "Hold my banana and sit. I'll get you lunch." Rose did as she was told. The banana was partially peeled so Rose continued until there was no more skin. The Doctor meanwhile made a bread and Nutella sandwich for her, also filling a glass of orange juice. Rose handed him back his banana and together they ate silently.

Rose swallowed her last bite before asking, "Do you know if Mickey ate anything?"

The Doctor stood up and binned the peel. "There's a plate that wasn't here before in the sink and the table's full of crumbs. I'm sure he found something." He took her plate and washed it by hand in the sink, doing the same with her glass. Rose was surprised when he did the same with Mickey's plate instead of whining about it. Perhaps there as an understanding between them. He sonicked them dry and packed them away. Drying his hands on a kitchen towel, he turned to Rose.

"I don't know what to do Rose. How do I fix this?" Rose looked at him, he was distressed and frankly quite agitating to be around. He kept wringing the towel in his hands, burning of excess energy. She stood and removed the towel from him and threw it on the table.

"I won't have chosen the galley for the inevitable conversation of you trying to claim responsibility." The Doctor tried to interject but Rose covered his mouth with her hand. "But, here is as good as any place." She removed her hand from him and smoothed it down his tie.

"I've condemned you to an eternity of hell Rose. You will lose everyone." He placed his hands on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Humans don't see that sort of suffering Rose. There will be so much you cannot change. You will have to watch innocents die cruel and unnecessary deaths. You will see the good that will come from strife but you will also see the shadow that always lingers with the victory of every struggle." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to be burdened with that," he whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have reached the end! I will do a sequel... eventually.

Rose took his hands and held them to her chest. This was one of the most difficult conversations she ever had in her life. It made the quarrels with her mother seemed like kindergarten fights in the playground. "You suffer too Doctor." She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them. "You burden yourself with loss with no one by your side." She pulled his lips down to hers. "You don't have to be alone any more," she whispered against them. He kissed her sweetly and slowly, tenderly showing his appreciation. She pulled away and traced his sideburns with her fingers. He shivered with the caress.

"Like I said before Doctor, I promised forever." She kissed his cheek and then the other. "I am grateful that Bad Wolf has given me the chance to spend more time with you. Limited or unlimited. As long as I have you, my Doctor."

He crumbled at her declaration of her ownership of him. He was wholly hers, body and soul. No one could light the dark chambers of his hearts like Rose Tyler. She was a blessing, perhaps a boon from the universe after his centuries of helping its inhabitants. If there was a higher power in the multi-verse (even he didn't know everything), his debts must have been paid by their standards and he was finally allowed some measure of happiness. His hearts were bursting with the overwhelming ache of love and passion. He swiftly captured her lips with his, making her gasp for breath each time they parted. His was intoxicated with the sweet essence of Rose, her taste forever seared in his memory. He needed her, in all entirety.

Rose gently pushed him away at some point. He reluctantly relinquished her lips and nuzzled her neck. Rose was panting, trying to regain oxygen into her system. "Not that I mind this Doctor," she gasped as he passed over a sensitive spot, "but we can't do this on a kitchen table." The Doctor groaned, realising her words we true. He released her and she slid off the table. The Doctor stabilized her as she wobbled, his ego swelled at the effect of his kisses on her.

"Are we relocating?" The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her. Rose laughed at his antics and lightly slapped his chest. She felt lighter, less burdened as did the Doctor. She still had to ask him even though they had made their declarations.

"So… Will you have me Doctor? For however long I live?" Rose looked at up at him. The Doctor caved into her amber eyes, seeing the future in her eyes. The future she painted in her eyes was one he definitely wanted, one filled with love and boundless happiness he haven't had since his granddaughter. He placed her back on the kitchen table. Clearly they were going nowhere.

"I promised last night that I would love you until the end of days, Rose Tyler. I believe it's what you tell the woman you plan to marry." He passionately snogged her, robbing her of breath. He pulled away, letting her gasp her breaths. Thank Rassilon for a respiratory bypass system. He peppered kisses on her face while she breathed heavily.

"Getting domestic are we?" Rose was in a haze of hormones, all telling her to bed her alien as soon as possible. Reason was also there, fighting its way through but failing miserably.

"Only with you." He latched on her pulse point, making her moan. She clutched his head closer, running her hands through his hair.

"Mum-" she gasped as he bit down, "is still going to kill you." He was unconcerned, still biting and suckling which she sure was going to leave a mark.

"Don't think she'll do that to her future son-in-law." He moved to the spot below her ear, making her shiver and gasp. "We need to move," he whispered into her ear, "right now." He grinned and gathered her into his arms. Rose's stomach fluttered as he swept her off the table, laughing at how happy she felt in that moment. She was weightless, floating in the ocean of his love, the love she wasn't sure she had had. He was always an enigma, she never truly knew how he felt until today when she looked into his eyes at that very moment. He was joyous, like a child at Christmas, uninhibited by guilt and sorrow. The Doctor paraded with Rose in his arms, her arms slung around this neck. They were all well until they entered the corridor.

Mickey Smith stood in their way. His stance was almost predatory, ready to pounce at a command. The Doctor did not let Rose out of his hold, even though she squirmed. "Mickey," the Doctor addressed the man. Mickey gave a curt nod, looking daringly into the Doctor's eyes.

"Doctor, Rose," he addressed, finally looking at Rose. The Doctor let Rose down gently then, but did not release her hand. "I hope that you did everything that had to?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at the Doctor who swallowed.

"We did." The Doctor saw the eyes of a man not to be crossed with when he looked at him. "I suppose Rose may want to tell you a few things," he said, looking at Rose. She turned to Mickey, walking forward as he stepped back.

"Not now. Later. Go and do," he gestured at both of them, wrinkling his nose, "whatever it is you're gonna to do." He stepped around them and went to the kitchen. "I need something to drink." He moved to the refrigerator and started digging.

He waited until the footsteps of the Doctor and Rose to get lighter before unclenching his fist. If he ever hurt her he would kill him. One did not simply steal away the love of your life before promising to keep them happy and healthy, even without words. If the Doctor didn't, Mickey would not hesitate to knock his door four times, one knock for each death he would surely bring.


End file.
